Blu-ray Review: Lady in a Jam (1942)

Irene Dunne was an American actress, singer, and philanthropist who appeared in films during the Golden Age of Hollywood. While she starred in many genres of films she is probably bet known for her comedic roles.

In 1942 Irene Dunne was joined by Patric Knowles and Ralph Bellamy in the comedy Lady in a Jam. Now Kino Lorber under the division KL Studio Classics have released this classic screwball comedy on Blu-ray. 

Jane (Irene Dunne. The Awful Truth) is a young lady who is suspected of insanity after she squanders her entire inheritance yet refuses to accept her poor financial state. Dr. Enright (Patric Knowles, Monsieur Beaucaire) is the handsome doctor assigned to her case, unbeknownst to Jane. Posing as her chauffeur, he drives her out west to her rich grandmother, from whom Jane hopes to recoup her fortune. Refusing to give Jane a dime, instead her grandmother allows her to work the family’s played-out gold mine. Jane’s ex-boyfriend (Ralph Bellamy, Hands Across the Table) comes into the picture only to discover Jane is smitten with the doctor. A love triangle ensues and finally the gold mine and Jane’s love life start to yield some promise. 

Now Irene Dunne has starred in so many iconic comedy films during her career I would be hard pressed to rank this one as her best. But that does not mean that this film is without merit. The story is so much fun and the cast is really great. In addition the direction of Gregory La Cava (best known for directing My Man Godfrey) is simply amazing!

The film has been transferred to Blu-ray in 1080p in it's original aspect ratio of 1.37:1. The audio is a 2.0 mono. There is also an option for English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. Now while this transfer doesn't feature a new 4K scan, the transfer is still pretty nice! The picture is crisp there is some minor scratches, but nothing that should take away from the viewing experience. The audio is clean devoid of his or pops. Watching the film on this Blu-ray is a pleasure.

Now a nice looking transfer is not all that is included on this Blu-ray. Kino Lorber added some cool bonus features. Take a look at what is included.

* Audio Commentary by filmmaker Allan Arkush and Film Historian and Filmmaker David Kremer

* Trailers: High, Wide and Handsome - The Bride wore Boots - The Flame of New Orleans - Every Day's a Holiday - The Bride Comes Home - Love Before Breakfast

So as you can see in addition to the film we get trailers for other classic films (I love trailers!). And the Audio commentary by Allan and David really bring a lot of information about this release I never knew. I highly recommend the audio commentary! But what the film itself first!

So if you love classic Hollywood screwball comedy as much as I do, you need Lady in a Jam in your Blu-ray collection. Head over to Amazon and order your copy today.  


Out of 4 Film Reels (4 Being the Best) The KL Studio Classic Blu-ray of Lady in a Jam receives...